


The Nine Heroes of Camp Courage

by A_Cloudy_Day_In_AU_Hell



Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: "just because I'm younger and a healer doesn't mean I can't fight guys!! >:(", "who is this sassy lost child" - Dark, Everyone Needs A Hug, Found Family, Four's colors are in his head sorry I don't make the rules, Ganon's a bitch but what else is new, Manipulation, More tags to be added, Shadow is Four's little brother bc I couldn't justify them being twins, Shadow is Not Having A Good Time, Sun is overworked and just wants to help and be with Sky, Wind is SICK of being babied, all the Zeldas are there too don't worry, expect this to get a little bit angsty, hey if they share a name they gotta get along great right?? wrong, lying, not a percy jackson au but similar, superpower camp au, the Links being bros
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:55:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24922669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Cloudy_Day_In_AU_Hell/pseuds/A_Cloudy_Day_In_AU_Hell
Summary: A Linked Universe AU where the boys have powers and WERE attending a camp for individuals like themselves until a certain someone had to ruin it. Featuring: Bitch Boy Shadow and Not Paid Enough For This Shit Dark!!Fair warning, I'm still relatively new to this fandom, so mistakes are going to be made. I'm trying my best, though! ^^'
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	The Nine Heroes of Camp Courage

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so so so so so SO much for checking this out, I took a headfirst plunge into the LU fandom, so OF COURSE I wound up coming up with an AU eventually. This one might have stemmed from me reading a certain superhero AU recently(psst go check out the series "we fucked up and made a superhero au" if you want to find a good angsty AU--fair warning tho, there is a lot of heavy stuff), so shoutout to the authors of that one! Y'all are amazing!
> 
> Thank you again, and let me know if you have questions, comments, or critiques! I thrive off of feedback, and comments really do give me a huge motivation boost. Happy reading! Hope you enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alternative title: Cloudy Learns That Banter is REALLY Fun to Write
> 
> Vio's my favorite of Four's Colors, but goddamn is Blue fun to write. Also Let Wild Teach Hyrule to Cook 2K20
> 
> Also important tw: depictions of kidnapping and being drugged from the perspective of an eleven-year-old.

Four sighed, looking up at the sky. Something felt... _off_ today. He wasn't sure what it was, and he wasn't alone in trying to figure it out.

_Probably from getting our ass handed to us last night,_ Blue huffed. _Remind me again how we let ourselves get curb-stomped by a nine-year-old?_

Vio sighed heavily. _He's thirteen, Blue._

_Still! We got totally anhiallated by a kid!_

_We underestimated him, that's all._ Green's voice was calm and level, if a little tired from dealing with Blue's complaints. _That trick with the mud was definitely a little underhanded, though._

_He was nice enough to heal us afterwards, though, so we can't be too mad at him, right?_ Red pointed out. This started an argument with Blue that Four decided to tune out entirely, opting instead to focus on the entrance to the camp as two people hurried through. Both of them looked rather frazzled and kept glancing behind them, as if making sure that nothing was following them. Four frowned. Why would they even be worried about that? The Lost Woods wouldn't let anyone through who would mean the camp harm. And where was the third member of their party? Legend had made it back with the new camper, but where was Time?

Before Four could ask anything, though, the counselor for Fire Cabin approached them briskly. His blue scarf flapped in his wake( _Who the_ fuck _wears a scarf in July?! With a sleeveless shirt?!_ ). "I see you two made it back okay. Good job, Legend." He gave the younger camper a nod. "I have to ask, though--where's Time?"

Legend glanced over his shoulder. "Some asshat on a dragon followed us just about to the woods. He told us to go on ahead and said he'd be right behind us, but it was a _fucking dragon_ , Warriors."

Warriors frowned. "A dragon?"

" _Yes_ , a dragon. Did I fucking stutter?" Legend glared, but Four didn't miss his worried undertone.

"Alright. You give our new cabin mate--Adrien, right? Give him a quick tour of the camp, I'll get reinforcements and go help Time out." Legend nodded, and Four watched the younger teen make his way over to Fire Cabin. "If you're done eavesdropping, I could use some help, Four," Warriors said, causing Four to jump.

He quickly composed himself, then chuckled. "Sorry, I just noticed Time wasn't with them and got a little concerned," he admitted. 

"Fair enough. Hey, Sky!" Warriors called over to another counselor who had a white hoodie tied around his waist. Sky looked up from the younger camper he was helping. From the looks of it, he was trying to teach her how to make things float.

"Hm? What do you need?" he asked, tilting his head to the side a little.

"Time got in a fight on the way back with Leg and the newbie, so Four and I were gonna go see if he needed backup. Mind if we steal you for a few?"

Sky looked back remorsefully at the girl he was helping. "Looks like I have to go. Try practicing it on your own, though. You're doing great so far!" He gave her a smile of encouragement and she beamed at him, thanked him, and ran off to find somewhere else to work on her skill.

The three young men made their way into the Lost Woods with haste, but were stopped about halfway. Time was a bit worse for wear--his clothes were torn, dirty, and singed in places and he had a few gashes and burns--but apparently he had been able to fight the dragon and its rider off.

"Don't worry about me," he'd said, despite leaning pretty heavily on Warriors, "It'll take a lot more than that to get rid of this old man."

_Tch, yeah, right,_ Blue scoffed, _Give us a few more years and we'd be able to do it without the dragon._

Red gasped, sounding scandalized. _Why would we try to kill Time?! You can't really mean that!_

_I said we COULD, not that we WOULD, stupid._

_Blue!_

_No, Green, he's got a point. Not that he's much better..._

_WATCH IT, SMARTASS._

Greeen sighed. _Vio, you're not helping._

_You guys are all so mean!_

_Wha--Red, I was sticking up for you!_

Four listened to his Colors banter as he walked back to camp with the others. Sure, they fought a lot, but they always made up with each other. Maybe some people would be annoyed by having four voices always saying different things in their head, but Four had grown to appreciate their company, even if he was never really alone with his thoughts.

At least there was always someone there when he started thinking about _him_.

The rest of the day went by pretty smoothly. Time was sent to the infirmary and caught up on some sleep--apparently he'd jumped forwards and backwards enough to equal two and a half hours. It left Four feeling uneasy. He knew that none of that time had actually passed for him, but the idea that time had elapsed that he hadn't known about left a strange feeling every time he found out.

_At least we know what was off earlier,_ Vio reasoned. Four agreed, but he wasn't sure that was all of it.

After Time was settled in, Wind had asked Four if he wanted to train with him some more. Despite Blue's screaming protests, he did. As the two made their way to the sparring grounds--a relatively large, sandy meadow in the woods--a shout rang out. "Hey!" Four turned around to see Legend running to meet them.

"Hey, Legend. We were about to go spar. Would you like to join us?" he offered. Legend grinned.

"Hell yeah, I would! Took for-fucking-ever, but that new kid's probably just as familiar with the camp as you two are," he bragged. 

"Oh, really?" Four smirked. "You didn't show him the pond you had to throw Wild in after you set him on fire, did you?"

"Or the tree you burned down and then fell out of when Warriors couldn't get you down?" Wind teased. He ducked away from Legend as the older boy made a grab at his hair.

"Oh yeah, 'Rule wouldn't talk to you for _weeks_ after that." Four laughed and danced just out of arm's reach. 

"I'm being ridiculed by Goddess-damned midgets," Legend huffed, prompting Wind to tackle him. They were at the sparring grounds, now, so his landing wasn't too hard, but Four knew Legend would be complaining about sand in his hair for days.

"We prefer 'gremlins', thank you very much," he said. "Now take his kneecaps, Wind!"

\----------

By the time the three were done with their training, the sun was hanging dangerously low in the sky. "Shit," Legend swore, trying furiously to swipe wet sand off of his red jacket to no avail. "We're all dirty-- _thanks_ for that, Wind--" the boy gave Legend a wide shit-eating grin. "--and we're gonna miss dinner if we don't hurry up. Whose idea was it to go for another five minutes again?" He glared at Four, who shrugged.

"Yeah, my bad. Let's just hurry and hope that Wild made enough to last until we get there."

Upon returning to camp, the group was greeted by a figure leaning against the wooden fence. The sun was almost set and the aroma of something delicious wafted through the air. The figure looked up when he heard their approaching footsteps. "Running a little late, huh?" he said. Though his face looked strict, the Form Cabin counselor's words were fond.

Four nodded a little sheepishly as Wind and Legend backed off. He supposed that was fair; this _was_ his cabin's counselor after all. "Yeah, we wound up going for longer than we'd expected. Sorry, Twilight."

"At least you made it back before dark," Twilight said, "I would have hated to have to tell Wild that he was saving your food in vain." He grinned and Legend and Wind practically jumped for joy.

"We're not gonna starve!" Wind exclaimed gleefully, running to the campfire with Legend hot on his tail. Four thanked Twilight and headed over as well.

"Hey, Four!" Wild greeted with a smile and a wave. "'Bout time you showed up, we were getting worried." He handed Four a bowl full of stew. "Hearty venison stew tonight! And if you're interested, we do still have some of the mushroom skewers left."

"I think I'll stick with the stew, thanks," Four said. Wild shrugged. 

"Suit yourself. Hyrule helped me this time." Suddenly, Four was a _lot_ less hungry. As his Colors commented on how this might have been a bad idea(except for Red, who wanted to give the guy a chance), he must have made some sort of expression. "Aw, don't make that face, he just helped prepare the vegetables!"

Four breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank Hylia for that."

"Wha--" Hyrule spluttered, "Hey, I'm not _that_ bad!"

"Hyrule. You started an oil fire last week."

"And? Oil's flammable, it can happen to anybody--"

Wild deadpanned. " _We were boiling water for mashed potatoes._ "

Four laughed. Wild was trying to teach the Earth Cabin counselor to cook, but Hyrule's food was always dubious at best, and that was when it didn't _literally_ go up in flames. 

"At least I don't kill every plant I touch!" Hyrule shot back. Where he fell short in the cooking department, Hyrule made up for by a landslide in his abilities as a gardener. Four supposed it probably had something to do with his plant powers. Wild, on the other hand, was whatever the opposite of a green thumb would be. A red thumb? Either way, he couldn't keep a plant alive for more than two weeks, tops.

Wild looked personally affronted, but Four knew it was all for show--the humorous glint in his eye betrayed that. "How _dare_ you! I'll have you know Mister Pricklypants is absolutely _thriving_!"

"Much to the rest of your cabin's chagrin," Time cut in. Oh, yeah, he was Many Cabin's counselor. Honestly, it was an easy thing to forget; the man felt more like the Camp Leader than the _actual_ Camp Leader did sometimes, though Four would never say such a thing while Sky was around. The flickering light of the campfire illuminated his grin. "If it weren't the only thing you haven't killed so far, I'd be on the same page as them. Tripping over a cactus in the middle of the night isn't exactly pleasant."

Everyone laughed at that--except for several of Many's campers. _I guess Time wasn't entirely joking,_ Green pointed out. 

Blue didn't even have time to get a whole retort out before something lit up behind Four, the sound of panicked screaming accompanying it. "The hell?!" he exclaimed, whirling around.

His cabin was on fire. Campers were shifting to try and escape, animal and non-animal forms terrified.The flames devoured the cabin and all belongings inside it. The firelight glinted off of the black and purple scales of a huge dragon, and the oddly familiar cackling of its rider rang above everything.

_MOTHERFUCKERS!!!_  
_Oh, no!!_  
_We have to help them!_  
_How did they get in?!_

Just as Four was sure he was going to be torn into four, someone grabbed him firmly by the arm. Four turned his shocked gaze to whoever it was. Time. His expression was cool and collected, even now, and Four didn't know whether he should feel impressed at the Counselor's level-headedness or intimidated by it. "Four. Can you split up and help get everyone to the Deku Tree?" he asked. Four shook his head.

"Blue will just attack them head-on, and it's too far of a distance." Time nodded grimly.

"Alright, then do what you can as one," he ordered, then his form started to melt into something else--his wolf form, a large golden-furred beast with a glaring red socket where his right eye should have been. Time leapt into the fray immediately, snarling furiously.

Four whirled around and helped a boy to his feet, shouting for everyone to follow him. His Colors still stuck out from the rest of the chaos, suggesting, ordering, pleading, demanding him to let them out. It felt like there were four pairs of hands trying to rip a hole in his chest from the inside, like there were four people crammed into a suit that was too small for _one_. And it didn't matter how many times he refused them, how hard he tried to keep that hole from expanding, how much he tried to _ignore them_ , they didn't stop. The yelling just got louder, the tearing just got more vigorous, and his hold on himself grew weaker, more strained.

But they were almost out of the camp.

Four gritted his teeth and turned around for one last look. Most of the cabins were on fire now, and Water Cabin's pirate-obsessed Counselor was working against the odds to put them out. The rest of the Counselors were fighting the invader with all of their strength. The black-clothed stranger was giving them hell, though, dark purple hair flying upwards as they dove to avoid the flaming chunk of wood that Sky sent flying at him.

A blast of fire, sent by a not-smirking-for-once-in-his-life Warriors, nearly caught the person behind the attack square in the face. It lit up his features for only a moment, but all it took was a glance to send Four reeling. Four voices shouted a single name in shocked confusion:

_Shane?!_

And then Four's grip on himself slipped and he felt himself split into four.

Being split into four people was an overwhelming ordeal. Words, actions, and emotions flew past him in a blur, leaving him to grasp at them like a child grabbing at leaves stirred up by the wind. " _Bastard!_ " A heavy force slamming into him. The sensation of flying through the air. "It's _Shadow_ now!" Concern. Confusion. "Why did you chose _them_ , Link?!" "FOUR!"

Darkness.

\----------

_"Shane, are you okay?"_

_"I-I...I think so?"_

_The young boy, no older than twelve, looked over a younger boy skeptically. At a glance, you would never have guessed they were brothers. The younger of the two had shaggy black hair and misty red eyes, while the older boy had skin just a few shades darker from playing outside for hours on end and concerned eyes that never seemed to settle on a color. The four people who had started talking to just him in his head a week ago all suggested that he do different things; give him hugs like daddy would, check under his shirt for scrapes he might be hiding, track down the bullies who hurt him, help him up._

_"...Link? You're doing the mumble thing again..."_

_Link blinked. "Oh, sorry. It's just...them again."_

_"Oh." A pause. "Are they loud?"_

_"Sometimes. But don't worry, Shane! They all want to help you right now! We just gotta get home so daddy can make sure you're okay."_

_A sniffle. Then, "O-okay, but can you make sure they're gone?"_

_"Yep, just gimme a minute." Link got up to look, but immediately stopped dead in his tracks when a hand wrapped around his wrist--too big to be Shane's, but too small to be a grown-up's. He turned around and would have screamed, had a hand not come up to his face. A boy, younger than Link but older than Shane, with almost-white hair and emotionless crimson eyes had covered his mouth and nose. There was something wet and weird-smelling in the stranger's hand, and Link suddenly felt sleepier than he'd ever been before. The last thing Link saw before the world turned dark was a golden blur tackle the stranger._

_Four was floating in an endless black void, the desperate face of his long-lost brother shouting at him. "How could you work with them? They took you from me! Why did you choose them?! Wake up, Four! Wake up!"_

"For the love of Hylia, _wake up!_ "

Four sat straight up, almost knocking heads with Hyrule. He looked around wildly, gasping for breath. "Wha-- Where-- Shane--"

"Whoa, whoa, take it easy," Twilight said, placing a hand on Four's shoulder. "You're fine. That Shadow guy managed to knock you out--all four of you. Then you re-joined or unsplit or whatever and Wind managed to drag you all the way to the Deku Tree's sanctuary."

Four relaxed a little bit, but not much.

"Is everything okay? What happened to Shane?" For a dangerous moment, he was worried that someone had _killed_ his brother. His Colors assured him that they, at least, had not, but what about the others?

"Some injuries, but everyone made it out. And Shadow managed to get away with someone he called Dark." Twilight paused, giving Four a curious look. "You tw-- _five_ acted like you knew each other."

Four took a deep breath and ignored Blue's asking why it was any of his business. "Do you remember when you and Time found me?" he asked. Twilight nodded slowly.

"You were my first rescue mission, how could I forget? One of Ganon's men was trying to capture you and your brother."

"And he got away with him. Twi, that guy? Shadow?" Four hated how small he sounded, how _scared_ he was. There was no way, but at the same time, this was the only thing that made sense. "He's my _brother_." He held back fury, regret, concern, and confusion as understanding dawned on Twilight. The counselor pulled Four into a wordless hug for a moment, and Four sagged into him, grateful that someone was there and that he didn't have to hold all of this in.

Hyrule cleared his throat. "...Right. That's...yeah. I'm glad that you're, uh, _relatively_ okay, Four." Twilight and Four laughed, and the former grabbed Hyrule and brought him into the embrace.

"Guys, Su--" Sky walked into the tent, but stopped when he saw the group hug. "Did I...walk in on something?" he asked after a second of bewildered staring. The trio split apart, and Twilight stood up.

"Four was having a rough time," Twilight said with a side-glance at Four. His message was obvious to him: _Explain if you like, I'm not going to force you to do anything._

"I can explain later, did you need something?" he asked.

"Yeah, Sun just got done talking to the Great Deku Tree and he said he needs to talk to all of us," he said.

Hyrule tilted his head to the side. "All of us?"

Sky nodded. "Yep. 'Anyone named Link'."

Four got up slowly, noticing a throbbing ache in his leg-- _My bad,_ Green apologized--among other injuries. 

Huh. Shane had gotten pretty good at fighting, hadn't he?

"Let's go, then."

\----------

When they reached the Deku Tree, everyone else that needed to be present was already there. Time, who had been leaning on one of the massive roots, yawned and waved at them before turning to face the giant tree. "That's everyone. What did you bring us here for?" he asked.

"The forces of darkness grow stronger," the Deku Tree said, "and bolder as well."

Legend snorted. "We noticed." Wild jabbed him with his elbow.

The Great Deku Tree continued with nothing but a low chuckle to show that he had heard Legend's remark. "I fear a prophecy older than time is coming true before our eyes, and it is with much regret that I call you here to discuss the task I must ask you fulfil.

"You already know what Ganon's intentions are. He seeks to bring the world under his reign with an army of soldiers convinced he is right. His forces grow each day, and he will strike soon. And thus you heroes, brought here by destiny, must strike him down before he can attack."

Four didn't know what to think. _Prophecy?! Heroes?! Is he out of his mind?! What kind of kids' bedtime story does he think we're living in?!_ Blue exclaimed.

_He really thinks we're up to it?_ Green asked no one in particular.

_Maybe we'll be able to convince Shane to work with us!_ Red chirped, ever the optimist.

He was followed by a beat of uncomfortable silence.

_I hate to say it, Red, but I wouldn't get your hopes up,_ Vio said carefully, _He seemed pretty... hung up on whatever Ganon told him._

"Four? Earth to Four?"

"Hm?" Four realized that he'd been staring off into space and looked at Warriors. The tall counselor was giving him a concerned look.

"You okay? That guy didn't give you a concussion or something, did he?"

"What? No, I'm fine. Just... lost in thought, that's all." Four fiddled with the beads on his necklace absently. _...know the real Shane's still in there, don't give up on him!_ Red said, voice shaking. Warriors looked at him for a few more seconds, but didn't push anything. "So... we have to take Ganon down before he can make an attack, right?"

"That is correct. Do you accept this task?"

"We don't exactly have much of a choice, do we?" Twilight asked.

"I suppose not; it _is_ your destiny, after all," the Deku Tree mused.

"I know I'm in!" Wind exclaimed. "An adventure sounds like fun, and we're gonna fight Ganon? Awesome!" A hand came down on top of his head, and Wind looked up at a tired-looking Time.

"Easy there, cub. It'll be an adventure, yes, but it's also going to be dangerous." Four couldn't help but look at Time's scar. Had he gotten it on a quest like this? Time looked up at the Deku Tree, his face losing some of the softness it had when he'd been speaking to Wind. "I'll go regardless."

"Me too," Sky and Warriors said at the same time.

"Oh, I'm definitely in," Legend grinned. "That son of a bi--" Time glared at him, and Legend's face paled a bit. "--iiiscuit won't know what the f--what hit him."

Wild laughed. "I'll go too. You guys are gonna need _someone_ to make sure you don't starve!"

"And _you'll_ need someone to make sure you don't completely destroy any ecosystems along the way," Hyrule said with a lighthearted punch to Wild's shoulder.

"Count me in as well," Twilight said. He glanced at Four. "What about you?"

Four hesitated. He wanted to go and help as much as he could, but at the same time, he was worried. What if they had to fight Shane again? Four didn't want to have to hurt him, but if he was working for Ganon... _Red had a point earlier,_ Green said, as if trying to reassure Four. _He kept asking 'why' and 'how' we were here, so maybe he can still be swayed._ And he was right, or at least Four hoped he was right. Hope was all he needed right now.

"I'm in."

\----------

Shadow pushed past the guards without thought nor care for their safety. Once he was inside the room, he approached the throne and kneeled, hoping the combination of the dim lighting and his head being low hid the traitorous tears pricking his eyes. Crying was a sign of weakness, and here, weakness could get you killed.

He'd seen it happen more than enough times.

"Lord Ganon," Shadow said, careful to keep his voice level. 

"Shadow. Care to explain why you were in such a hurry?" Ganon made little attempt to hide the contempt in his tone.

"My apologies, sir. Our attack on the camp wasn't as successful as we'd planned. They evacuated to a deeper part of the forest, and if we had pursued them any further, we would have been trapped. The enchantment on that part was too strong for Dark--for _Darren_ to break."

"Mm. I sense that that _tree_ is preparing to send a party after me. Perhaps you can correct your little _failure_ and dispose of them before they become a problem."

"Of course, my lord." Shadow hesitated, then said, "Lord Ganon?"

"What is it?"

Shadow winced at his voice. "Five years ago, when you took me in, you told me that Li--that my brother was dead, but he's alive. I saw him, and he's--" Shadow's voice cracked. "He's working for _them_!"

Ganon practically purred. "Then he's as good as dead to you, then! Unless you can persuade him to join us, I would suggest you simply forget about him."

Shadow's breath hitched in his chest. That was it! He'd just have to show Link which side was _really_ the good guys, and then he wouldn't have to worry about fighting him anymore! "Of course, thank you, Lord Ganon."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell me if you enjoyed!! I have a bunch of other things that I'm trying to get done right now, but let me know if you liked this and want me to prioritize it!!
> 
> Characters and powers
> 
> Time(Many, counselor): Time manipulation, but he has to sleep for the equivalent of the time he distorted. Shapeshifting(golden wolf).
> 
> Wild(Many): Teleportation
> 
> Four(Form): Ability to split into four
> 
> Twilight(Form, counselor): Shapeshifting(Wolf Link)
> 
> Warriors(Fire, counselor): Heat resistance, ability to manipulate already-existing fire.
> 
> Legend(Fire): Heat resistance, ability to create fire. Can't control it.
> 
> Hyrule(Earth, counselor): Ability to manipulate plants, weak "earthbending" power.
> 
> Sky(Air, counselor): Ability to manipulate air, flight.
> 
> Wind(Water): Ability to manipulate water, water-based healing.

**Author's Note:**

> And there it is, my guys, girls, and nonbinary goblins! Chapter 1! Let me know what you think(especially my characterization PLEASE these characters are still super new to me and I need to know what I'm doing wrong so I can fix it and what I'm doing right so I can keep doing it)! Feedback is just about my only motivator, and I really appreciate when you leave comments. Makes me want to keep doing it even when life is hectic, y'know?
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you like reading the banter as much as I enjoy writing it! See you in the next chapter!


End file.
